Industry analysts predicted a paperless office years ago, but the mountains of paper have only grown higher. "E-signatures remove the last barrier for true paperless transactions by getting rid of the need to print, sign and then file," said David Wall, CEO of Everett, Washington-based Yozons, Inc.
"Unfortunately, digital signature technology has been around for 20 years without much impact either. The real key is to provide signatures that are immediately usable by everybody, " he said.
With simply an e-mail address, internet access and a web browser, any real estate office, large or small, can save time and labor by using e-signatures on listing agreements, rental applications, leases, etc. Yozons.com provides worldwide, easy and safe e-signatures and access to signed documents without requiring changes to any electronic documents or installing new software. And the cost is a reasonable $.25 to send an e-signature and $.50 to obtain an e-signature.
The benefits for the real estate industry are many:
- added convenience to customers;
- lock into a binding agreement fast;
- get your offer there first;
- anytime, anywhere, everyone has their own original copy;
- documents are safely stored as required by law;
- a validated signature ensures document integrity.
Early on, agents will probably want to follow up the e-signed documents with a hard copy until they feel more comfortable with the technology (just as was seen with the adoption of the fax machine). Others may just want to start with the "less critical" documents like pest inspections or lead paint disclosure paperwork.
Once they are comfortable dealing with e-signatures and not having to store mountains of paper for many years, they will be happy to do most of their paperwork and contracts this way. Considering many agents are receiving over 50% of their business from their web sites and Internet listings and are contacted via e-mail from these prospects, this is a natural progression for the real estate industry.
Their 'Signed & Secured' communication tool, which uses open industry standard technology, offers several deployment options - an appliance, a managed service on a dedicated or shared server, or as a zero footprint service that is up and running in minutes.
Industry standard encryption technologies are used to safeguard all data during transactions and while archived. The sender is provided with a complete audit trail of all messages sent with time stamps, detailed tracking that includes records of when messages are received, read and signed. Yozons currently provides services to the Everett Chamber of Commerce and is being recommended to real estate agents by a Multiple Listing Service in the Northwest.
[The word "yozons" means "swift motion" in the Navajo language. The 'Code Talkers' spoke Navajo code in World War II because it was not decipherable by the enemy. In the spirit of the Code Talkers, Yozons represents American freedom, speed, security, honor and integrity.]
Related Story:
Prez Promotes e-Sigs
Pat Rioux
